Overview

Instances on the CloudCo Partner platform can be remotely accessed using standard SSH and RDP on Unix-based and Windows Servers respectfully. Additionally, out of band console access is always available as an alternative.

Console Access

Console Access is provided by default for all Instances. While SSH and RDP are preferred for performance reasons, Console Access is always available even if the Instance is otherwise inaccessible.

Windows Server requires initial Console Access to provide a new password, so CloudCo Partner is never made aware of your credentials.

To gain Console Access:

Navigate to the Instances screen under Compute

Click the ⚙ Actions menu beside the target Instance

Click Console

Secure Shell

Linux and FreeBSD Instances can be accessed on first boot with SSH, using your SSH public key.

Adding SSH Keys To Your Account

To add a SSH key to your Organisation account:

Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Profile

Choose Public keys from the sidebar

Click Add to bring up the Add popup for SSH keys

Give a descriptive Name to your SSH key, such as id_rsa.pub

Paste your SSH key into the Key box

Click Add, and return to the Instances screen by clicking the CloudCo Partner logo

Importing SSH Keys Into Instances

Now your SSH public key can be imported into Instances.

If you're creating a new Advanced Instance in the Intances screen under Compute, click the Remote access section link

Drag your imported SSH key from the available SSH keys column on the left, to the attached SSH keys column on the right

Availability

If the Instance is running, SSH access will be available within a few seconds on either its Internal Networking or External Networking IP address.

If access isn't available, you may have configured your firewall to block incoming SSH traffic, or you don't have a target network interface to accept requests. Use Console Access to login and diagnose.

Generating an SSH key

Most UNIX and Unix-like operating systems ship with OpenSSH, which includes the ssh-keygen tool for key generation. Refer to the OpenSSH documentation for full details.

An industry standard, high grade SSH key can be generated with the code below into your ~/.ssh directory:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C 'my CloudCo Partner instance key'

Remote Desktop Protocol

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Instances are configured to accept RDP connections, but only after a passphrase has been set. After creating a new Windows Server Instance:

Navigate to the Instances screen under Compute, and select Console from the ⚙ Actions menu beside the target Instance

Windows will prompt for a new password to be set. Enter a strong passphrase